Here is a little about me...I've had epilepsy most of my life, I'm 53 now. I was sick with high fever at 18 months and began having seizures. From preschool age through 6th grade I had absence seizures. Starting in Jr High I began having aura's until my first grandmal at 28. I was not taking any medications or ever tested until my first grandmal. I began to take Dilantin which controlled my seizures until my late 30's and began having complex partials. I have had cluster complex partials at times going for week at a time. I have the VNS since 2002. I'm taking three meds..Keppra, Lamictal, and Dilantin. Keppra and Lamictal was added once I began having complex partials. In the last year I have found two things that has helped with the complex seizures. Living at sea level and recently the gluten free diet which I have been on about five weeks. We lived in Colorado and found going to sea level would stop the seizures. I would still have some at sea level but they were not clusters or as often. Since starting the gluten free diet I have not had any seizures. I feel better than I have in a very long time. I discovered the diet reading about it on the internet and decided to try it. So far it has helped more than anything else I've tried. I'm hoping this will continue. When I was having cluster seizures and nothing was stopping them my neurologist put me on Klonopin to take when the clusters would start. The Klonopin worked, it would put me to sleep, but over time I became tolerant to Klonopin having many withdrawal symptoms. I didn't understand what was happening to me and began researching on the internet and found information about benzodiazepines. It took me a year to taper off Klonopin and another year for me not to have any withdrawal symptoms.
I would recommend all to read all they can about benzodiazepines and the gluten diet. Both have played a huge role in my life.
I would recommend all to read all they can about benzodiazepines and the gluten diet. Both have played a huge role in my life.